Orioles

Beckett Sharp For Red Sox In 7-4 Win Over Orioles

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FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Josh Beckett hopes to help himself out with his glove.

Beckett helped turn a double play and earned the win Saturday as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 7-4 in a split-squad game.

“It’s something I’ve always tried to take pride in,” Beckett said of his defense and pickoff move to first base. “But the priority is going to be to get the guy at the plate out. That’s never going to change. If I feel like something else is going to take away from that, whether it’s controlling the base runners, I’m probably not going to worry about the base.”

Beckett allowed one run and two hits in five innings with two strikeouts and a walk. He has a 1.29 ERA.

“Josh is as professional a player as I’ve been around when it comes to pitching,” new Boston manager Bobby Valentine said.

New Red Sox outfielder Cody Ross went 2-for-3 with a double and a fifth-inning solo homer off reliever Brad Bergeson.

“Cody is very aggressive,” Valentine said. “He’s fitting in well with his new teammates. It seems like he has been around a long time. He has a power stroke. I like his defense.”

Baltimore starter Armando Galarraga gave up four runs and six hits in four innings, lifting his ERA to 7.88.

With manager Buck Showalter in Sarasota with the other half of the split squad for a 3-3, 10-inning tie, bench coach John Russell — Pittsburgh’s manager from 2008-10 — ran the Fort Myers half of the Orioles. Russell oversaw the first spring training start of shortstop prospect Manny Machado, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft out of Miami Brito High.

The 19-year-old went 0-for-1 with two walks and said he enjoyed facing Beckett. Machado rooted for Beckett when the pitcher helped the 2003 Florida Marlins win the World Series.

“He’s got good stuff. Hopefully I’ll be facing him soon,” Machado said. “I was 14,15-years-old and watching him pitch. Now I’m facing him at a young age now. It’s definitely exciting. Hopefully I will see him down the road.”

Beckett is now 31.

“That just means I’m getting old,” he said.

Machado hit a combined .256 with 11 homers, 50 RBIs and 11 steals last season at Class A levels.

“It felt good getting out there,” Machado said. “I felt like I had good, quality at-bats and had a good quality game overall.”